Music-box



(No Model.)

W N. WEEDEN.

MUSIC BOX. v No. 283,307. Patent-ed Aug. 14, 1883.

' inder is provided with projections 11 b, so arbe properly engaged by the projections on the UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILLIAM N. WEEDEN, OF NEV BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

Music SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,307, dated August 14, 1888.

' Application filed April is, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM N. WEEDEN, of New Bedford, in the county of Bristol, and in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Boxes, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making-a part'of this application, in which f Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my invention inclosed in a case of watch form, with a portion broken away to show the operating mechanism. Fig. 2 shows a section on line w w of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shows a perspective View of the cylinder removed.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The object of my invention is to economize space in the arrangement of the parts of mn sic-boxes, and to make them simpler and more economical in construction, and more compact in form; and to this end it consists in the peculiarities of construction, as hereinafter described, and more specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A designates the case, which in the present instance is in shape and size, substantially like a watcltcase. It is made in two parts, A A. The part A corresponds in shape to the center-piece of a watch-case, and is adapted to receive a disk of glass, as the watch-case bezel receives and holds the crystal. The part A is cup-shaped, and fits inside of the part A, as shown. WVithin and journaled at its ends, as shown, in the case thus formed isthe short hollow cylinder B, made of sheet metal. The inside of this cylranged as during the revolution of the cylinder to engage the free ends of the music-producing teeth or tines held in the rigid post D, screwed or otherwise attached to the bottom of the case, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This post D, I make in the shape of a frustum of a cone, so that there shall be a suitable graduation in the lengths of the teeth, the free ends of which must be in the same straight line to cylinder. Attached to the outside of the cyl inder, and between it and the case, is'a circuprovided 011 its outer end with afoldin'g crank,

K. (Shown in Fig. 1 in operative position in full. lines, and in dotted lines folded in out of the way.) As will beseen by reference to the drawings, the projections within the cylinder are formed of tongues of the material of the cylinder punched inward. As shown, the gearing so rotates the cylinder that these proj ections engage the musical teeth or tines in such a direction as to offer the greatest resistance to bending. The tines strike against those sides of thesetongucs which were on the outside of the cylinder, and can only tend to bend them farther back; but, obviously, there is great resistance to such. bendingmore than there would be to force applied on the opposite side. These tongues orprojections are, as usual in music-boxes, so situated relatively to each other and to the teeth of the musiccomb that any desired air will be playedthereon when the crank-shaft is turn ed and the cylinder revolved but the especial feature of my invention is that this comb is situated within the cylinder, and is acted upon by teeth projecting inward therefrom. By such construction I economize in the space. heretofore occupied in music-boxes by the cylinder and comb. I am enabled to us'e'a cylinder of large diameter, and so can increase the length of the tune to be played beyond what was possible before without taking up too much space. That part of the space which was formerly occupied by the internal and inoperative part of the cylinder is in my music-box utilized to afford room for the comb and comb post or holder. The outside casing or box needs then to be only enough larger than the cylinder itself to make room for the operating-gearing, all the musicproducing devices being on the inside of the cylinder.

The usual pins can be used instead of the projecting tongues described.

A cylinder constructed according to my invention is applicable to all musical devices having barrel attachments-such as musicboxes, chime bellringers, automatic playing mechanism for pianos, &c. As I so economize space, a music-box constructed according to my invention can be made to play an air of l considerable length, while the mechanism itself takes up very little space, and canbe placed within a watch-case, as shown, or even in the head of a cane.

Having thus fully set forth the natu're and merits of my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In a musical device,.the hollow cylinder journaled at its ends in the ease, and provided with internal projections arranged to properly engage the music-producing mechanism.

2. The combination of the hollow cylinder journaled at its ends in the case, and provided with internal projections, with the musical tines held by the post attached to the case and extending within the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the hollow cylinder journaled at its ends in the case, the post D, attached to the case, extending within the cylinder and made conical in shape, so that the musical tines projecting therefrom are properly graduated in length, while their ends are in the path of the internal projections on the cylinder, substantially as shown and described.

4. The hollow cylinder provided on its interior with series of inward projections, and on its exterior with a rack, in combination with the pinion and the series of musical tines.

The cylinder for music-boxes and the like, made hollow and provided on its interior with series of projections, and on its exterior with a flange perforated as shown, to form a rack.

(3. The barrel or cylinder for music-boxes and the like, j ournaled at its ends in the case, and provided on its exterior with a rack engaged by a pinion on the erank-shait, journaled, as shown, in the pendant of the case.

7 In combination with the case made in two parts, as shown, the hollow cylinder having each of its ends directly supported by and j ournaled in one of these parts, the rack on the cylinder, and the engaging pinion on the shaft journaled in the ease, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

8. In a music-box, the barrel or cylinder provided with the tine-striking projections, consisting of tongues bent or punched up from the material of the cylinder itself.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of April, 1883.

WI LLIA'M N.- 'W'ETCDEX.

\Vitnesses:

F. C. S. BARTLET'IT, -(1IJIFFORD I. SHERMAN. 

